DIY Wood Shutters~ tutorial

DIY Wood Shutters~ tutorial - Simple planks of pine covered in 3 layers of paint and then sanded to perfection Last week I shared these simple wood shutters and I...

Monday, August 19, 2013

Simple planks of pine

covered in 3 layers of paint

and then sanded to perfection

Last week I shared these simple wood shutters
and I promised a tutorial

They were inexpensive and so easy to make-

I think making the 2 pairs took me about an hour total

Here's what you need~

1x4 pine boards
(amount and length will depend on your window)

wood screws

4 hinges
(I used simple pin hinges)

Pale pink, pale green and white paint

(You will also need a saw to cut the boards

as well as a drill/driver)

Here's how I made them:

I started off measuring my windows to get a good INSIDE measurement for the length of the planks.

You want your shutters to be able to sit inside the window area for the hinges to work well

(otherwise, you will need different style hinges to get them to sit right and open and close properly
on the outside of the frame.)

You also need to measure the width of your window at the same time to know the width you will need for each shutter so that you know how many boards you will need for each one.

Each of my shutters were the width of (5) 1x4" pine boards wide

Using the mitre saw ~ I cut each board to the length

and laid them together flat on the ground

A quick double check measure to make sure they were the correct width
then cut (3) pieces of leftover 1x4 to put across the
top, middle and bottom
and I secured them with screws on each board

A little sanding around the rough top and bottom edges of each cut board
and they were ready for paint.

I like to add a little of the paint color to primer for quicker coverage when priming
-but you don't need to

After that- it was simply layers of paint.
A layer of pale pink and then vintage green and a layer of pink again

The next step was to sand some of the paint away in areas to create a vintage finish.

The hardest part?

Hanging the shutters.

Yep. I was on my own with getting these up & too impatient to wait for someone to help
so I balanced them on my thigh while
getting the hinges lined up correctly
and getting them screwed onto the window frame.

It really would be so much easier

if you had a helping hand~ these puppies are heavy.

These shutters were actually made back in April (we work a few months ahead on some of our Lowes projects) and it happened to be when the big muscles were busy
balancing some of those big beams while making the front porch pergola

So since I only got the little boards with the shutter job-
I can't complain too much ;)

To make it easier- I started by attaching the hinges to the edges of the shutter

(and then made sure I had all those teeny tiny screw within easy reach as well)

Since the shutters basically fit inside the window frame area- you can balance them on the sill for a bit
before lifting them up (or when you get tired)

Make sure to set the hinges so that when you attach them to the frame

the shutters open the correct way and easily.

The next step is to lift the shutter up and position it to allow just enough space on top and bottom for them to swing open

and then secure it to the window frame with a couple of screws in each hinge.
Then- repeat for the other side and other windows.

I only used 2 hinges on each shutter but you can use more if you would like.

I also went with a hinge that has a subtle appearance-

I didn't really want it to be that noticeable

So do they work for keeping the heat out

or just look charming?

Both ;)

I keep these shutters open most of the time but when it is super hot,

they do a fantastic job of closing off that heat coming through the window

and keeping the room cooler

I love that they have a vintage look that fits perfectly in my office too.

I LOVE the way they look in your studio, Courtney! You made yours exactly the same way I made mine for my bathroom, kitchen, and hallway. I used t-hinges on mine because I wanted them to look more rustic. :) I think that painting those layers and distressing the paint was the most fun part, wasn't it? Thanks for sharing your tutorial. I'll bet that alot of bloggers out here will be making some of their own now! ♥